Alternative name: New Ireland Munia; Forbes's Mannikin; New Ireland Finch; Buff-breasted Mannikin; Forbes's Munia
- Lonchura forbesi
Identification
11.5-12 cm
- Black head to nape and throat
- Rufous-brown mantle, back and upperwing (paler in worn plumage)
- Buff rump
- Orange-buff uppertail-coverts
- Dark brown tail with orange-buff edges
- Unmarked rufous-buff breast, upper belly and flanks
- Black central belly, thighs and undertail-coverts
- Black bill with paler base of lower mandible
Sexes similar, juveniles have a brown head, forehead to nape streaked dark brown and blackish, breast pale tawny-grey, belly and undertail-coverts tawny.
Distribution
Endemic to New Ireland in the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea.
A poorly known restricted range species.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
Has been considered conspecific with Hunstein's Mannikin or may form a superspecies with it.
Habitat
Lowland dry grassland habitat, also in grassy or weedy forest clearings. Occurs from sea-level up to 1000m.
Behaviour
Usually seen in small groups or flocks.
Diet
Feeds on seeds of grasses and other plants.
Breeding
Birds in breeding condition recorded in March. No other information available.
Movements
This is a resident species. Resident.
Reference
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Gill, F and D Donsker (Eds). 2015. IOC World Bird Names (version 5.2). Available at http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved May 2015)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) New Ireland Mannikin. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 6 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/New_Ireland_Mannikin
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
